Bombings hit Ukraine’s capital as well as the northeast and south of the country, leaving at least one dead, 19 injured and thousands without power or heat. The Ukrainian president meets his American counterpart this Sunday in Florida. In the early hours of this Saturday (27/12), Russia launched heavy attacks against kyiv and the northeastern and southern regions of Ukraine, leaving at least one dead, 19 injured and hundreds of thousands of people without electricity or heating. The attacks took place on the eve of a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky and US President Donald Trump, which is scheduled to take place this Sunday in Florida.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported the death of a 47-year-old woman and at least 19 injuries in the city, while fires and explosions were reported in other areas.
The Russian attacks, which also targeted electrical infrastructure, were carried out with drones and missiles, including Kinshal ultrasonic missiles, according to Ukrainian media.
In kyiv, according to the municipal administration, 2,600 apartment buildings are without heating after the attacks, with temperatures close to zero degrees. In addition, 320,000 homes were left without electricity.
In response to intensifying Russian attacks on Ukraine, Poland closed two airports in the country’s northeast and its air force mobilized military planes to control the airspace.
Meeting aims to discuss peace plan
The attacks come on the eve of a meeting between Trump and Zelensky, seen as crucial to ongoing peace negotiations, even though the 20-point plan presented by the Ukrainian president on Christmas Eve was rejected by Russia.
Zelensky maintains his demand for full control of the Donbass region and rejects the presence of European and American troops in Ukraine as part of security guarantees for kyiv.
This Friday, Zelensky announced his intention to travel to Florida to meet with Trump next Sunday and discuss the peace proposal, as well as bilateral security guarantees that Washington could provide and an economic agreement.
“The 20-point plan we are working on is 90 percent complete. Our task is to ensure that everything is 100 percent ready,” he said of the peace proposal, which still leaves open questions such as what territorial concessions kyiv is ready to make.
This Saturday, Zelensky declared, before leaving for the United States, that the latest Russian attack on kyiv demonstrates that Moscow “does not want the end of the war.”
The Russians “are looking for any pretext to inflict even more suffering on Ukraine and increase pressure on others,” added the Ukrainian president, specifying that Moscow used around 500 drones and 40 missiles during its latest attack on kyiv and its surroundings.
The Russian military claimed to have targeted military installations and energy infrastructure “used for the benefit of the Ukrainian armed forces”.
md (EFE, AFP)
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